It is known in motor vehicles to provide an air bag assembly which inflates to restrain a vehicle occupant. An air bag inflator is mounted on the instrument panel of the vehicle body forwardly of the vehicle seat. The air bag is mounted on the inflator so that activation of the inflator will generate inflation gas to fill the air bag and expand the air bag from a folded up stored condition to an inflated position in which the air bag fills the space between the windshield, the instrument panel and the seated occupant. The typical air bag includes an upper portion for restraining the upper torso and a lower portion for restraining the lower torso.
It is desirable to shape the air bag and to control the inflation of the air bag in a manner to optimize the occupant restraining characteristics of the air bag assembly. In addition, it is desirable to control the inflation of the air bag in a way that will minimize the loading of the inflating air bag on the windshield and the instrument panel structure.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved air bag that would provide improved control of the inflation of the air bag in a manner to minimize the loading on the windshield and optimize the placement and deployment of the air bag into its occupant restraining position.